Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Bernie Laplante is having a rough time. He's divorced, his ex-wife hates him and has custody of their son, the cops are setting a trap for him, then to top it all, he loses a shoe whilst rescuing passengers of a crashed jet. Being a thief who is down on his luck, Bernie takes advantage of the crash, but then someone else claims credit for the rescue.
Hero (1992) is a modestly clever comedy-drama about identity, heroism, and media manipulation. The premise — a cynical small-time crook accidentally becomes a hero only to have a charming stranger steal his thunder — has genuine satirical bite and thematic richness about how society constructs its heroes. Dustin Hoffman leans hard into his schlubby anti-hero role with his trademark nervous energy, and Andy Garcia is charming as the opportunistic impostor, though neither performance reaches career-best territory. Geena Davis is solid as the TV reporter caught between truth and narrative. The film's cinematography is functional and unremarkable for the era, competently shot but offering little visual distinction. The plot's social commentary on celebrity and media feels sharp for its time but the execution is uneven, mixing tones awkwardly. The ending delivers a reasonably satisfying resolution that stays true to the film's cynical-but-warm worldview without fully capitalizing on its best ideas.